Battle of Stettin (1092)
|title1 = Battle of Stettin|result = Annexation of Stettin|belligerent1 = placeholder|belligerent2 = placeholder|commanders1 = placeholder|commanders2 = placeholder|strength1 = placeholder|strength2 = placeholder|casualties1 = placeholder|casualties2 = placeholder|prev = Battle of Magdeburg|location = Stettin}} The Battle of Stettin was a siege fought in 1092. Background Wanting to expand his power base and also the economy. King Knud of Denmark already had planned to march onto Stettin previously. He raised a much more skillfull army filled with Huscarls and Scouts. Danish Nobles offered a sum of 2,500 Florins if Stettin was captured in a reasonable period. With this incentive, Knud crafts his army and marches on Stettin. By 1090, he reaches the Castle, guarded only be a Motte and Bailey. Although lightly guarded in general terms, it is still the most well-defended place that Denmark has attempted to capture. Knowing his advantageous position with his powerful troops, however, Knud sees that he only needs to build battering rams for the doors. He orders that two be constructed. Strength Pre-Battle Preparation Sometime in mid-June of 1092, the construction of the siege equipment has finished. Knud orders that the men encircle the walls of Stettin Castle in preparation for attack. In order to conserve the manpower of his newly trained, higher quality troops, Knud strategically places both rams onto the Militia Spearmen, so that they will be taking much of the front-line fire. Without much other knowledge, Knud begins the assault with no other notable preparatory action. Engagement Start of the Battle Without hesitation, Knud sends his spearmen straight towards the walls. One unit will break down the gate, and the other will attempt to create a breach slightly to the right of the gate. Wikerus places three of his Town Militia units in front of the gate, while keeping his own guard as well as the archers on the plaza. The gate's towers start to spew out flaming arrows at the siege equipment, and the Rebel Peasant Archers begin to empty their arrows, flaming, into the ram destroying the front gate. As a response, Knud moves his own Peasant Archers forward and to the right, but behind, the Militia Spearmen. Sensing his temporary strength in numbers, Wikerus launches a surprise attack. He throws open the gates and piles his Town Militia onto the unit of Spear Militia breaking the gate open. Already under fire and weakened, the engagement tips in favor of Wikerus. As more Town Militia come to the aid of Wikerus' men, Knud's archers start to shoot a marching unit while its flank is still exposed. Wikerus himself takes his bodyguard and charges into the fray. Defensive Failures While the fight at the gate is decisively turning in Wikerus' favor, relatively little attention has been placed on the other unit of Spear Militia. As a result, they are able to create a breach in the wall with minimal casualties. For Wikerus however, he must now deal with a second point of attack. He lifts archer fire from the initial unit onto the unit in front of the newly created breach, and moves his personal guard to it as well. Now, Wikerus evenly distributes his men and place two units of his own Town Militia on each unit of Spear Militia. With the battle in full swing, Knud sends his Viking Raiders to assist in the battle for the gate, and the Dismount Huscarls to assist in the breach. Knud moves up his own bodyguard slightly in preparation for a possible charge. He also his changes the target of his own archers, who are now poised to eliminate Wikerus' archers, who have started to shoot at both breaches. On the right side of the fight, one of the units of Town Militia breaks under attack from two units now. The Dismounted Huscarls combined with the Spear Militia now have the combined capabilities to fight one sole unit of Town Militia, containing Wikerus himself, left on the right, who attempted, but failed to retreat to the plaza. Wikerus is killed by a Danish Spearmen as he is in his front line. The Danish breach on the right has pushed the late Wikerus' men back far enough that they are in a constant cycle of breaking and regrouping on the plaza. Seizing the opportunity to cause serious damage, Knud sends his Dismounted Huscarls in melee against Wikerus' archers, while the Spear Militia stay back to deal with the shattered Town Militia. With the help of Viking Raiders, the fight for the gate starts to turn back into Denmark's favor as Wikerus' men in the vicinity are pushed back through the gate. Seizing the Plaza Knud's Dismounted Huscarls are blocked by the shattered, but regrouped, Town Militia before they can advance on the archers.